Congratulations are in order!

I want to publicly congratualte my little brother, Morgan, on his recent engagement to Holly, his wonderful girlfriend (now fiance)! I am soooo excited for them both because they are great people. I am super thankful that I am getting a really cool, sweet sister-in-law too!

A note to Morgan and Holly: please, please try to give the dates of the wedding soon! I am definitely coming home but have school and a mandatory Peace Corps conference that I must attend in March.

awwww....

This link http://ontheway.blogproject.org/images/hi-casey will take you to an amazing photo album created by my friends at Penn State. The national communication association conference was recently held in Boston. I was very sad that I couldn't be there to see all of my friends, colleagues, former professors, etc. BUT, you'll see that my friends didn't forget me!!!! I was completely taken aback by this kind gesture.

Thank you (Jessica and others) for the wonderful surprise. It made me smile, cry, laugh, and miss everyone.

A little festa

Click on the image and it gets bigger.... it's even better when it's full size!

Yesterday I invited my class to my house for a little party. We didn't have school because it was "ISE day". I thought it would be fun to visit with my students outside of class. Also, they have been so wonderful to me throughout the semester and I thought it would be nice to entertain them at my house. About 16 of my 25 students were able to make it. Some of them live far away and some of them have to work, but the turn-out was great!

For the occasion I made pizzas, banana bread, cookies, and brownies. My students each brought something to eat as well. We had tons of food! I had students bring bean dishes, couscous, cakes, rice, and much more. I was great.

My students showed up at 11am. Cape Verdeans have specific things that they do at parties, so I just sat back and enjoyed the events as they took over. First we played several games including charades. Then after about 2 hours of game playing and waiting for everyone to show up, it was time to eat. Everyone ate and drank lots. After eating everyone sat in a big circle and they took turns telling jokes and funny antecdotes. This was great because they were telling stories in Crioulu which helped me learn more words. After about an hour of story telling they began to clean up. Now this was an impressive production. First, they put on some really good dance music, then the boys grabbed brooms and dustpans and started sweeping and dancing all at the same time. The girls took to doing the dishes and divying up the food. Within about 20 minutes everything was sparkling clean and before everyone left, they had to DANCE. The boys and girls all danced for a bit and even got me in on the fun. It was a blast. I love hanging out with my students and getting to know them. It was great to speak to them in Creole rather than English for a change.

Well, in two weeks, they are throwing a "jamaica" party/dinner, and I am invited! I'm extremely excited about this! It should be a blast! I'll be sure to let you know how this all goes!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so I hope you are all spending Turkey day with those you love. I wish I were in America now to see everyone. It's hard to be soooo far away on the holidays. Miss you.... txau, ti logo.

I just couldn't help it!

I've recently inhereted 4 cats! That's right, four cats (1 momma and 3 babies). I wrote not too long ago about the cat, "happy cow" who lives at the Peace Corps transit house. I wrote about her having her babies while I was sitting next to her. Well, the Peace Corps found out about the babies and decided they had to go! Well, their brilliant solution was to kill the cats. I found out the day after I returned from Dakar and decided to save them from their impending doom. Can you believe someone would kill 3 babies?? I have no real desire to keep these kittens nor their mother, so I am just keeping them until the babies can be separated from the mom. I am in the process of finding good homes for them. I hope some fellow volunteers decide to take them in because I can't keep 4 cats; my roommate is already getting a little wigged out about them. She has taken to keeping her door shut at all times to keep the momma out!!!!

As for their adoption, I have taken individual photographs of each kitten in his/her most favorable light. I am planning on sending these images out to the volunteers to garner sympathy and find good homes for the cats. I sure hope this works!! YIKES. My roommate is patiently handling my compassion for pets, but she is really just humoring me for a while.

Okay, so wish me luck with the pet adoption! Oh, I forgot to mention that the kittens are primarily black, which my students tell me is very bad in Cape Verde. They say that people believe black cats are "brusha," witches. Children will try to kill black cats if they catch them!!! I don't have a lot working in my favor with these little guys.....

I'm Back...

HI Everyone! I'm back in Cape Verde after a grueling trip. After feeling as if my foot problems where not being resolved, my flight back home was delayed about 3 hours. We were scheduled to leave at 11p.m., but ended up leaving at about 2:30 a.m. That put me back in Cape Verde at 4 a.m. and I had to teach at 9. Needless to say, I'm exhausted. To top it all off, I had to share a room in Dakar with a woman who had the flu, so, of course, I am sick! GREAT! To say that my trip was pointless would be an understatement.

At any rate, I am happy to be home. I missed my students terribly. When I walked into my classroom on Friday morning, my students gave me a round of applause, and I got lots of hugs. They told me that they really, really missed me! It was nice to feel welcomed back.

So now that I'm here, I have been noticing all of the things I am missing. I began to compile a list so that family and friends could send me Christmas packages full of things I need. Here goes (this is particularly for Morgan and Holly who asked me to be specific):

- Spices (any and all spices, particularly tumeric and chili powder)
- Binder clips (you know the bigger clippy things)
- Index cards (lots of them for studying new languages)
- A day planner
- A wall calendar
- A good can opener
- A good garlic press
- A pepper mill (the only black pepper you can get in this country is in the form of peppercorns)
- NEW MUSIC - CD's of any kind that are out in the states now
- Hair clips
- Hair bands (ponytail holders)
- For JA - more Goldwell conditioner, shampoo, hair gel
- A new ipod (just kidding, but mine is done and I'm sending it West to have it repaired ... hopefully)
- Fruit Leathers (you know the 100% fruit snacks you can get in health food stores)
- trail mix
- Pecans, Almonds, pumpkin seeds, soy nuts, etc.
- visits from any friends or family members that would like to come.
- As always, money for traveling (can be deposited in my account at home or sent here, just let me know)
- Crossword puzzle books
- books, magazines, any reading material

I'll be updating this list as I think of things. I'm just soooo happy to be back here after time away. I'll try to post pictures from my Dakar trip soon. Txau... ti logo.

Dakar photos

Though I didn't get to spend a lot of time exploring Dakar, I did get to see some of the statues and mosques. This is the millenium monument on the beach near downtown Dakar.
As always, if you click on the photo, it gets bigger.

water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink

The other night, while eating dinner in the medical "hut" alone, I was putting together a puzzle that was left by another kind volunteer. All of the sudden, as if out of nowhere, water began spraying across the room. At frist I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. It was spraying like a firehose, really, really hard. I thought it was coming in through a hole in the wall from outside. Or maybe it was being sprayed in through a window. All I knew was that I was getting soaked and the floor was filling up quickly. I finally looked around and noticed a that had hose broken loose from the hot water heater and was causing the problem. Of course, I jumped into action. I grabbed the hose, only to have it spray in my face, and then I tried to redirect the water into the nearby sink. Just imagine it... me, drenched, holding an out of control water main in my hand, feeling pretty helpless. What to do? I finally rig a way for the hose to stay pointed at the sink and run out to the guard (oh, did I mention it was late and NO ONE else was around except two non-english speaking guards). The guards speak French, so I just yelled, "come with me" and made some wild hand motion as I pointed to my wet clothes. The guard, rather than immediately hopping to, just laughed at me for a minute, then followed when I stormed off (I didn't think this was nearly as funny as he apparently did). He came in, assessed the situation, went back outside, turned off the water main and the water finally STOPPED.

There I was, looking like a drowned rat, sopping up water from the lake that had become my kitchen. The guard left, got the other guard, and then they both returned to laugh at me some more. At this point I was on hands and knees with towels, working on getting the water up and out! Needless to say, it was a crazy night. I was worn out and headed for bed immediately after that incident! What a week. It's not bad enough that I broke my foot, had to leave Cape Verde, but now I have to deal with faulty water hoses! GEEZ. What's next?

Catching Up

I've decided, since I'm in Dakar and bored to tears, that I will try to spend some time "catching up" on some of the things that I have been meaning to write about.

1.) The boy in the yellow shirt:
I have a student named Esmael. He is a nice kid, about 20 years old. His English is pretty good and his writing is even better (which tends to be true for non-native English learners). I had my students write an essay introducing themselves. This was their first official assignment so that I could get a sense of where they were as writers and where I needed to begin the class. Esmael's essay was amazing. He told of his childhood and the extreme poverty into which he was born. He told of walking 3 hours each way to school every day, of not eating breakfast or lunch because his parents couldn't affort it, and of the struggle he went through to pay for his high school education (in Cape Verde, only primary school is free). What's funny, is that after I read his essay, I noticed that he wears the exact same yellow shirt every single day. The shirt is apparently from some basketball camp in the States that he must have inhereted from a relative or friend. I would have never noticed that my student wears the same t-shirt everyday if not for his essay about his impoverished life. It's amazing how much you can learn from reading about people's lives.

2.) Pregnancy:
I have a student named Fatima who wrote the most amazing essay last week. Her essay told the story of her youth. She was young, 15 or so, when she realized she was pregnant. She lived with her Aunt at the time and did not want to tell her secret. She told the story with such amazing detail and candor that I was enthralled. She never once said that she was "pregnant" but the dialogue communicated this "secret" that she was keeping. It was one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read.

Say what?

I'm in Dakar now where everyone speaks a different African tribal language and a little bit of French. This is terribly unfortunate for me seeing as I speak none of these languages. Just as I was getting a hold of Creole, I am sent to a land where no Creole is spoken!

Well, I saw three doctors yesterday. The Peace Corps doctor (who was of no help), a podiatrist, who while cute and French, was not all that interested in talking to me or helping me, and an orthopedic surgeon who did try to speak to me a bit but ended up telling me not to worry about my foot because "it's really not that bad." Now, this last doctor's comment made me cry because he told me this just after telling me that I would need to wear an insert in my shoe for 3 to 6 months and that I wouldn't be able to run for at least 6 months. But, really, it's not that bad. RIGHT! It sucks! The doctors all spoke to each other in French and the PC doctor didn't ever tell me what the specialists were saying to him, even after I asked. What a pretentious ass.

Now I'm waiting to get my shoe insert to turn my running shoes into my special shoes. I will have to wear my tennis shoes all day everyday. This means while I'm teaching, relaxing, everything. I'm sure it will be really, really cute seeing me in a dress, blouse, and asics! Lovely!

Well, aside from my terrible foot pain and impending fashion crisis, things are boring. I can't get out and do much because of the foot thing. I don't speak the language, which is a problem. Apparently it's Veteran's day, so the PC office in Dakar is closed, meaning the people who actually speak my language in this country are not around!

This has all turned out to be a pointless trip. I was sent here to have an MRI and CT scan, but have had and will have NEITHER. The PC is cheap and the doctor doesn't actually care about the long-term effects of all of this, so I'll just be hobbling around for a while longer. I sure hope the shoe insert works. If not, I'm headed to the states. I refuse to live in a place where I am miserable. I have to walk everywhere and with a broken foot, that's not very easy. Sorry to be such a downer, but this is all hitting me very hard. I feel like no one really cares if I get better in the near future or at all for that matter. I just hope something good comes from all of this bad! I'm trying to stay positive... and you know what might help??? Packages from the states filled with fun things to do while sitting on the couch and good things to eat while sitting on the couch! Okay, so send on those packages.

Dakar on crutches

Alo! First, let me say that I am on crutches and have been for about 5 days! Crutches are the pits and if you've never had the joy of supporting your weight on two sticks, then feel blessed. My armpits are sore, my back hurts, and I am now taking pain pills that make me drowsy all of the time. The doctor has put me on "bed rest" at this point. This means I can only go teach and then I must return home to sit on the couch and read books and magazines. I am pretty miserable, so send emails and words of encouragement my way, PLEASE!

I've just learned that tomorrow night I'll be on a plane to Dakar. Last time I was there, I hadn't made it to Cape Verde. And this time, I may not be returning to Cape Verde for quite some time.

I'll be in Dakar for an MRI and CT scan on my foot. Hopefully the doctors there will have some further insight on my foot and what to do about it. I'm not sure if I'll be returning to Cape Verde in a cast or if I'll be headed to DC for surgery. Everything is up in the air at this point, so I have been instructed to take as much as I can with me, as I may be gone for a while.

I will try to keep my blog up to date while I'm away (if I can access the internet) to keep everyone updated. Wish me luck! Txau, ti logo.

Happy Cow!

Well, It must be nearing Christmas time (even though it doesn't feel like it in Cape Verde) because the "peace corps" cat, Happy Cow (named after the cheese brand), just gave birth. Now, she didn't have a virgin birth (or at least I don't think so), but she was only about 8 months old when she had her first litter. She has a special place in my heart because she is a teenage mother and currently no one is residing at the Peace Corps transit house where she lives. I've been checking on her frequently to ensure she is being fed and that her pregnancy was coming along fine. Well, she must have known how much I worried about her because the other night I went to check on her and she came to sit next to me on one of the couches. I looked down and saw that she was beginning to deliver her first of three adorable kittens! That's right, she was lying right next to me, just pushing them out..... a miracle. She is the sweetest cat and her kittens are black. They haven't yet opened their eyes but they are beinging to cry and walk some! I am trying to find them good homes with Peace Corps volunteers, so we'll see how that works out. I don't really want to have a cat here for may reasons, but I may end up at least paying to feed them while they reside at the transit house. Well, the holiday season is upon us, maybe I'll name one of the babies Jesus! :) Txau, ti logo.

Happy Halloween

I know this post is a few days late, but with my foot problems, I've been busy!

I was really bummed that I was missing Halloween in the states. Several of my friends from the US have sent pictures of their Halloween parties and costumes, which made a bit homesick! To remedy this homesickness, I decided to bake my students some cookies and decorate them with orange and black icing. I also baked a brownie cake and decorated it with a big jack o' lantern face. I thought this would be a nice gesture and we had been studying Halloween in my British Culture and Civilization course!

Well, much to my surprise, my students had planned on surprising me on Monday morning. When I got to my classroom, they had decorated everything with ghosts, grave stones, balck cats, bats, pumpkins, etc. They went all out for this! I was so touched and surprised and amazed by this. They had all dressed either in all black with witches hats or all white with ghost faces. It was a beautiful site.

Of course, I didn't have my camera with me, but a student had hers! I hope to get those pictures and post them soon. I just can't believe how much trouble my entire class went to for me. They are absolutely amazing. They are hard working, thoughtful, and beautiful people. They were able to absolutely make my day even though I later found out about my foot and the upcoming trip to Dakar!

I have more things to say about my students here at ISE, so I'll write more about them very soon. Txau, ti logo.